The Racine Dominican leadership supports the LCWR Statement on the the racially motivated protests in Charlottesville, Virginia:

LCWR Condemns Racism in All Forms

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious condemns racism in all its harmful forms whether the violent acts of the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, and White Supremacist groups or the daily acts of hate and discrimination that diminish us all.

We grieve with the citizens of Charlottesville and all people of goodwill. We mourn with all who have lost loved ones, with all who live in fear, with all whose dignity is threatened by hate and violence. We lament the racism that continues to afflict our communities and threaten the values that we hold dear.

We acknowledge our own complicity in institutional racism. We commit ourselves to cleanse our hearts and rid our land of this evil. We promise to pray for our country and to continue to use our voice and our energy to build God’s beloved community where all are one in Christ Jesus.

LCWR is an association of leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has nearly 1300 members, who represent more than 38,800 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, LCWR assists its members to collaboratively carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today’s world.

This week, while tensions between the governments of the United States and the People's Republic of Korea quickly escalated, approximately 650 members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious meeting in Orlando, FL issued a public statement imploring President Donald J. Trump to engage in dialogue and negotiation.

At this critical moment for our country and global community, we - the 650 members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious gathered in assembly - have discerned the Gospel call to embody love for the sake of the world. We believe that love is more powerful than fear, dialogue more productive than rhetoric, and connection more transformative than threats of destruction.

We call on President Trump to engage in constructive dialogue and negotiation to resolve the current crisis between the governments of the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in a manner that guarantees the peace and security that all people seek.

We commit ourselves to promote nonviolence and a compassionate response to the thirst of the world for integrity and communion.

LCWR is an association of leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has nearly 1300 members, who represent more than 38,800 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, LCWR assists its members to collaboratively carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today's world.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious is horrified at the violence we witness in our world and appalled by the recent acts of bloodshed in Paris, Beirut, and throughout the Middle East. We continue to pray for all who suffer as a result of these senseless acts of terror.

We also pray for the strength and courage to respond to this violence with love and mercy. We refuse to let these acts of death and destruction sow the seeds of fear and mistrust that threaten to tear our communities apart and lead inevitably to more violence and harm.

We are witnessing the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War. More than 4 million Syrians have fled violence in their homeland and 12 million more are displaced internally. Syrian refugees are fleeing exactly the kind of terror that we have witnessed in these past few weeks. More than 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives, many more have lost family, home, and community.
At a time when the world is in desperate need of humanitarian relief, some are calling for suspension of the US refugee resettlement program, an end to funding for Syrians, or a rationing of mercy based on religious creed. Such restrictions violate the tenets of our faith and the principles of our nation....continue reading the LCWR Statement on Welcoming Syrian Refugees.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States.

As women of faith, we take seriously the gospel call to welcome the stranger and care for those in need. As Catholic sisters, we have a long history of welcoming immigrant families and healing, housing, and educating children in need…

…These children, most from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador are fleeing extreme violence in their cities and neighborhoods. They have been threatened by gang members and drug dealers. They have seen their sisters and brothers raped and abused by traffickers. They have been intimidated on their way to school and harassed on their way to church. These are children and families who have endured such unspeakable violence at home that they have no choice but to flee. They are quite literally running for their lives. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 58 percent of unaccompanied minors “raise potential international protection” claims and may have a viable claim to refugee protections under international law…

Grounded in our belief that action on behalf of justice is a constitutive element of the Gospel, we, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, affirm the interrelatedness of the justice concerns addressed by our recent assembly resolutions. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, we commit ourselves to examine the root causes of injustice, particularly racism, and our own complicity as congregations, and to work to effect systemic change as we struggle to establish economic justice, abolish modern-day slavery, ensure immigrant rights, promote nonviolence and protect Earth and its biosphere. We pledge our prayer, education, and advocacy and commit to using our collective voice, resources, and power in collaboration with others to establish justice which reflects God’s abundant love and desire that all may have life.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States.

PRESS RELEASE: 8/11/15
(Racine Dominicans are among the congregations participating in this LCWR campaign)

Wisconsin Sisters Confront Human Trafficking

Sixteen congregations of Catholic Sisters have banded together to create an awareness campaign confronting human trafficking in Wisconsin. The Sisters purchased advertising on buses in Milwaukee County (now through Aug. 25), Oshkosh (through 2016) and Green Bay (September through February 2016). “Trafficking people, including children, is a travesty in today’s world,” said Sister of St. Agnes Jomarie Zielke, representing Wisconsin’s Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). “It is nothing short of modern slavery, exploiting people for profit through sex and labor.”

The ad highlights the national hotline number and text address, with the hope that victims will see it and that the general public will become alert to the existence of trafficking in Milwaukee and throughout the state. It stresses keeping children safe by ending trafficking.

“No place is exempt from human trafficking today,” Zielke said. “Small towns, rural areas and large cities alike are targeted by traffickers.”

Human trafficking ranks with gun and drug trafficking as the top crimes globally. “People think this is a problem in developing countries. It is, but it is also prevalent in every one of the United States, including Wisconsin,” she said.

Wisconsin ranks among the worst states for human trafficking, with both sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Young girls and children are especially vulnerable. Two weeks ago, a seven-year-old Milwaukee girl was nearly abducted while playing in front of her home. Fortunately, she escaped, and the alleged would-be captor has been arrested. The average age of a child coerced into sex trafficking is 12-14.

The bus ads are one component of the Catholic Sisters’ awareness campaign confronting human trafficking. The Sisters are also preparing a toolkit to help Catholic parishes throughout Wisconsin educate their congregation about the dangers and prevalence of human trafficking in their own area. Along with providing resources, statistics and information, the toolkits encourage parishes to collaborate with local police and programs already in place in their area.

“Human trafficking is so insidious because it is kept hidden through intimidation and control,” Zielke noted. “We need to bring it out into the open so victims can get the help they need to regain control of their lives.”

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has more than 1400 members, who represent more than 80 percent of the approximately 51,600 women religious in the United States.